Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Favrik –
Mysterious - and scary - member of the Dragon Cult whom the party
encountered holed up in a small building within the town of
Thundertree.

Reidoth –
A white-bearded Druid who seems to have information concerning Wave
Echo Cave and Cragmaw Castle. He resides in a small reinforced
building in Thundertree. He has asked the party to rid Thundertree of
the Green Dragon that rests in the nearby tower.

<Murna
Dendrar> - Acquire the emerald Necklace from the Herb and
Alchemy Shop in Thundertree. It is the party's reward for rescuing
her [Complete].

<Daran
Edermath> - Explore Old Owlwell to the NE. Daran indicates that
there is a Watchtower there. The party is to protect any miners there
from any undead or orcs that may be wandering about.

Events
Summary:
What an interesting adventure our band of heroes had this time! A
mysterious cult, a green dragon, and a profoundly enchanted – or
perhaps deeply cursed - party member! But we get ahead of ourselves.
I suppose we should start back in Neverwinter. You see, the party
found its way back to Neverwinter simply to resupply and recoup
before pursing leads in Thundertree. They could not have foreseen
what lie ahead of them.

Their
first hours there were uneventful. Bardu sought the town temple,
Mullyn reported to the sage who had been working on translating his
cryptic symbols, Dain found luxurious housing to rest for the night,
and Endelthil purchased some new gear. Where was Thorin you ask?
Well, no on can say for sure as he went missing for some days, but it
is suspected that he sought out the cantankerous lady-dwarf Grista
back in Phandalin – we all saw the twinkle in his eye!

Anyway,
the intrigue began when Mullyn decided to cast a detect magic spell
on a silver longsword that the party had acquired on their previous
adventure. Oh yes, the sword was indeed enchanted and useful for Dain
in battle, but this was not an unexpected discovery. What startled
Mullyn (and quite deeply at that) was the realization that his
comrade, Endelthil, was also enchanted – deeply and profoundly so!
Was it a domination spell? Necromancy? Surely it was not a Wish
spell!? Whatever permeated the elf's being was indeed powerful magic.
Poor Mullyn – in shock and a bit of terror – found the nearest
intoxicating beverage and promptly drank himself to sleep.

Endelthil,
meanwhile, retreated to his own room in Neverwinter's inn to ponder
this new discovery about himself. What was he? Who or what did this
to him? But, before much consideration could be given to this, he
noticed a note on the floor of his room – marked by a gold coin of
the Zhentarim! Following the note's instruction, the elf took a
midnight stroll to a specified location, only to be startled by a
shadowy member of the Zhentarim. The mysterious rogue directed
Endelthil to find what he could of an enigmatic Dragon Cult and any
trace of dragon activity when he arrived in Thundertree. What? What
is this cult? What was our elven friend supposed to do if he
encountered any of this? Before these questions could be asked, the
stealthy informant vanished as quickly as he had appeared. With so
much to take in, Endelthil returned to his room to meditate until
morning.

Finally,
morning came, and the party set out for Thundertree. The first day of
their journey remained decidedly uneventful. Although, I must say,
Mullyn did seem a bit jittery and, with a cautious eye, kept his
distance from Endelthil. The night quickly arrived and they set up
camp as was their custom, and took shifts to keep watch. On Bardu's
shift, he noticed a faint moaning and woke his comrades. Even with a
magically lighted arrow fired by Endelthil into the darkness, the source of the
sound remained undiscovered. Though wary, they remained safe into morning and then continued towards Thundertree.

And
so our heroes reached Thundertree, greeting by wooden signs posting
warnings of plant monsters and zombies. Peculiar, but not altogether
unexpected. Reidoth was supposed to be here in this town. But where?
The party searched many empty buildings in the eerily silent town
only to be greeted by the Ash Zombie's inside – which were quite
easily dispatched. What? What are Ash Zombies, you say? Well, I
suppose Mullyn and Dain would know this best, for they were the ones
infected by them. You see, these creatures emit a nasty black ash
that, when inhaled, causes the victim to exhibit zombie-like
symptoms. Gray skin, twitching, vomiting – nasty business! Yes,
thankfully Mullyn and Dain were healed of this affliction by Raidoth,
be we will get to that.

First,
however, our little party encountered an occupied, but well-locked,
dwelling. Curious that someone would choose to hole up in a
zombie-infested place like this, isn't it? Well that is what the
party thought, too; and it was only after much coercion and some
persuading by Bardu that one of the occupants finally relented and
opened the door. And who was behind that door? None other than
members of the Dragon Cult! Favrik, the leader, stated they do not
wish to harm anyone. They only wish to speak with the Green Dragon in
Thundertee's nearby tower. Generously – or perhaps deviously –
the Cult offered to help the party address the dragon. However, the
party kindly refused, gently insisting that they must first find
their friend, Reidoth.

What
was the party to do? There was a Green Dragon in a tower only meters
away! Was the Dragon Cult to be trusted or killed? For that matter,
what was the nature of the dragon? Endelthil seemed to think that a
riddle he received many nights ago during his meditation spoke of
this green dragon – but he could not make sense of it. At a loss,
he suggested that Bardu used his Scroll of Augury to see what might
happen if they addressed the dragon alone – but the Cleric foresaw
only their woe. Frustrated, they searched the remainder of the area
finding the green emerald mentioned by Murna. A small joy amidst a
dire situation.

This
joy, of course, was soon cut short as Mullyn and Dain began
manifesting signs of having been infected by the Ash Zombies - gray skin, bulging eyes. I told you it was nasty business! Bardu
did what he could, but his magic only seemed to stabilize their
current condition. They were running out of options. However, there
was one building left to explore. With anticipation the party knocked
on its door. A white-beard man greeted them kindly and introduced
himself as Reidoth. Finally! They had found the one they were looking
for!

Reidoth
welcomed them in, and the party shared with him their need to find
their friend, Gundren, in Cragmaw Castle. The Druid handed Dain and
Mullyn some (barely) edible healing substance to cure them of the zombie
sickness. Then, he calmly explained that he had information about
both Cragmaw Castle and Wave Echo Cave. He generously provided the needed directions to Cragmaw Castle; but before he would point them to Wave Echo Cave, he would ask that the party get rid of, or preferably kill,
the nearby dragon.

So
many questions lingered. How should they confront the dragon? Should
they include the Dragon Cult in their effort? Should they even bother with the dragon now? Who could be trusted? What meaning was to be found in Endelthil's riddle - if any? They were too tired to make a well-informed decision, and gladly accepted the offer to spend a restful night in Reidoth's abode. For tomorrow, they knew, may not be so restful.

Notable
Items Acquired:
Emerald Necklace (200 gp)

XP
Acquired Per Party Member: 138
XP

Information
Learned:

Reidoth
has information about the location of both Wave Echo Cave and
Cragmaw Castle.

The
Dragon Cult, which worships undead dragons, wants to speak with the
green dragon in Thundertree Tower.

The
ash dispelled by Ash Zombies will make the one who comes in contact
with it digress into a zombie-like state. Reidoth has a cure for
this. The party should stock up on this.

Hollia
is away investigating some of the nearby miners. She should return
in a few days.